chinese/dim sum: PEARL LIANG at Grand Hyatt Taipei

PEARL LIANG
at Grand Hyatt, 2nd FL
No.2, Sung Shou Road
(02) 2720-1234

Lunch 11:30am - 2:30pm
Dinner 5:30pm - 10:00pm

$$-$$$

kid friendliness: high chairs available, but seemingly quieter ambiance for business lunch set.

official website: at taipei.grand.hyatt.com
visits reviewed: 10/10/2006 and 10/23/2006



It's interesting that within the span of two weeks, two different friends choose Pearl Liang as the meeting place for lunch. Perhaps for its elegant, quiet ambiance or maybe for its varied selection of dim sum. The first visit (from which all the pictures are from), we ordered the Dim Sum set menu, which includes a soup, congee, fruit and all you can eat dim sum (which is usually available only weekends and holidays). The second visit we ordered the business set lunch available weekdays.

My lasting impressions from both lunches is that they have great dishes and they have some not-so-great dishes. It's a crapshoot. With the dim sum set menu, I really enjoyed the soup, most of the dim sum, but didn't care for the porridge.




With the business set menu, I didn't like the soup at all, found the scallops main dish to be very small, but thought the rice noodles were decent. In both cases, I didn't like the fruit which tasted as if they had been soaked in syrup or sugar water or something like that.



The all you can eat dim sum set menu is a good deal if you have a big appetite, or want to try a large selection.



Otherwise, it would probably be more affordable to just pick out your favorites if you have more people in your group.

I found the radish cakes not crispy or moist and the cha sau bao to be dry (even the bbq meat part).



The fried items were a bit greasy, but the steamed items were good.




I guess at NT$150 a basket for 3 or US$5, I expect it to be nearly the best dim sum I've ever eaten. But it wasn't, by a long shot and quite disappointing.



I've also been back to Pearl Liang since then for a family set menu dinner which was surprisingly good for my lunch experiences there. I suppose they chose good dishes from the menu or maybe their dinner is better than their dim sum. They have a lot of private rooms of different sizes so it's good for huge extended family sit down dinners.

american/japanese: i recommend ROBIN's GRILL TEPPAN LOUNGE

ROBIN's GRILL TEPPAN LOUNGE
at Grand Formosa Regent Hotel, 2 FL
41 Chung Shan N. Road, Sec 2

(02) 2523-8000 ext 3930

website: grandformosa.com.tw

hours

$$- $$$

Visit reviewed: 5/16/2007

Definitely a place for a special occasion as the prices are a splurge (at least NT$1000/person and average up to NT$3000 a person for set menu dinner) and the service and food can make you feel quite special. From the origami tuxedo napkin to the manager Robin (for whom the restaurant is named) coming by and saying hello- there are little touches at Robin's Grill Teppanyaki that set it apart from other grill places in Taipei. The grill side also has a self serve salad bar as well as a dessert bar that is included in your set menu dinner.

The french onion soup was gorgonzola-ish, beef onion brothy-licious and flavorful while the asparagus appetizer was quite bland and flat for what I expected.

I'd recommend getting the rib eye steaks alone over the surf and turf, as my filet mignon was not as delicate and melt in your mouth orgasmic as my fellow diners. The lobster was also quite ordinary and a bit overcooked, so save all your stomach and plate room for the steak. Whatever cut of prime choice rib eye my friends had that day was probably some of the best red meat I've ever had in my mouth. I was extremely jealous after tasting it in contrast to my own steak because my dish tasted unfocused, like the chef was too busy preparing the lobster AND the steak that he made two so-so dishes instead of one spectacular dish, which their's were. It was worthy of the night out.

The souffle is also beautifully presented, but not as sweet or moist as the ones I've tasted from Joyce East, so unfortunately it wasn't as tasty as it looked. Luckily, we fufilled our sweet tooth with coffee and vanilla ice cream from the dessert bar.




I do want to check out the Teppanyaki portion as I've heard good things about it. They also have large private rooms for parties and families for the teppanyaki part. I know that the regular steak places around town are Ruth Chris (which I haven't been to in Taipei)- so be sure to add this one to your list if you are craving a good rib eye in Taipei. And I think if you were celebrating a special occasion and you told them while you made your reservation, they would be sure to make your night even more special.

CLOSED! revisited/italian: i recommend MOGA

MOGA
No. 50, An Ho Road, Sec 2
(02) 2704-9646

$$-$$$

review visit: 8-19-2005/ (below editor addition: 9/2007 for a 7/2006 visit)

(Please be sure to read the revisted review along w/ the original post, which is almost two years old. I have not been to Moga since the UPSELL which I am discovering is quite frequent and outrageous. Honestly, I have not been back since 2006 because of the slow service and ridiculous prices we were charged on our last visit. I thought it was our own mistake for not asking, but I am tempted to change the 'recommend' which I had already downgraded from a "strong recommend" to a "do not recommend" but I think I would have to visit it again to decide for sure.)

ORIGINAL POST 11/2005:

Moga is my new favorite local Italian restaurant- the food is delicious and satisfying, the service is personal and attentive, the ambiance is modern and simple, and did I say how much I liked the food? The style is Italian meets Japanese, which seems to influence everything from the food to the service. For many of the Italian spots I have been eating at regularly in Taipei, my return visits have disappointed with each visit- however, with Moga, the food and experience became better. Perhaps it was the noisy downpouring of rain from the incoming typhoon, perhaps it was eating pasta while nearly 9 months pregnant- whatever it was, I'm itching to eat there again.

We ordered salads, appetizers and a pizza to share family style, and our own pastas or main courses to eat individually. While the specials on the board are in Chinese, the menus are in both English and Chinese. The pizzas were listed in Chinese, and the server stated that I could make my own desired combination if I didn't see what I wanted on the board. We ended up with a Hawaiian style pineapple, sausage, tomato and mushroom pizza that had crust with body and crunch, a healthy amount of toppings and cheese, but didn't overweigh the crust. It wasn't too doughy unlike a lot of 'homemade' style pizzas I've ordered at other restaurants.

pizza


The salads were refreshing and plated for each individual. Due to some miscommunication, the server gave us two salads plated this way, including some type of salad that included a meat that was a bit unidentifiable. I think it was fish? I would stick with the standard mixed greens salad that comes with slices of an hardboiled egg and cherry tomatoes and a light vinegrette. The appetizers I would order again are the bruschetta and the mozzerella and tomato- I didn't care for the chicken wings.

salad


I ordered a chicken linguine with porcini sauce that seemed to melt in my mouth. The porcini sauce was creamy but not too heavy, the linguine was slippery, but held onto the sauce, and the chicken was tender and not overdone. The portion was just right and the sauce left a pleasant lingering mushroom taste. My friend ordered the rib eye steak, which was nicely grilled and accompanied by a few crispy waffle fries that happened to make their way to my plate.

chicken linguine with porcini sauce


rib eye steak


For dessert, we ordered a selection to share: the creme brulee, the tiramisu, the chocolate cake and the panna cotta. My favorite was probably the panna cotta which milky and not too sweet, came covered in kiwi. The creme brulee was not as expected having a carmelized crust on top, but rather was a scoop of eggy-flan like custard covered a bit of caramel sauce. The tiramisu was more whip creme than ladyfingers and the chocolate cake didn't leave much of an impression.

creme brulee & tiramisu


chocolate cake & panna cotta


Appetizers are $180-280 NT, pastas are $320-380 NT, meats are around $580 NT, and desserts are $100 NT. With drop down screens that can separate the close tables, it's a place suited for a romantic dinner for two or a group dinner. It's a small and intimate space, so call ahead if you want to be sure to get a seat. It's more stylish than Cosi o Cosi, much better tasting than Diamond Tonys, a better value than Pasta West East, and more original than Macaroni Grill- so that's why Moga is my new favorite.

(Editor addition: 9/2007 for a 7/2006 visit)

Beware of the upsell! After eating at Moga again, I have to warn new customers that while the food is very good, you will get charged for everything. Sometimes, like last night, the service is slow with one server and a full house. I had originally written up Moga as strongly recommend, but now I've lowered it.

The service was slow when we went last night, and we had ordered the gorgonzola cheese bread appetizer. We asked the owner about it and she apologized for the delay and gave us some garlic bread. After we got our appetizer, there was some delicious melted cheese still in the dish, and we requested a piece of plain bread. When we got our bill, we were charged NT$80 for 2 slices of garlic bread and NT$30 for 1 slice of plain bread. Now I am not the happiest about paying US$1 for a piece of bread that most restaurants give a whole basketful of when you sit down for free, but we requested it so fine. But the garlic bread was given to us, not ordered, and I didn't expect to see it on our bill.

Also, as part of our set course, we got a soup. The owner recommended a clam soup to me. It was not bad, clams in a clear broth. However, on the bill, she charged me an extra NT$100.

She also recommended a cheesecake for dessert, a special one from Japan. So we said sure! It was heartshaped and huge! But then we were charged NT$600 for it though dessert was supposed to be part of the set course.

Friends we had run into last night also were surprised to see their bill totals as a result of the set course upsell. So while a plate of pasta is a reasonable NT$380 if you order salad, soup, dessert drinks, it WILL add up. Don't assume that what she is recommending is part of the package, and if you are on a budget and in doubt, ask!

chinese: i recommend CHILI HOUSE

CHILI HOUSE
No. 250-3, ZhongXiao E. Rd, Sec. 4
(02) 2721-6088

lunch: 11:30am to 2pm
dinner: 5:30pm to 9:15pm

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available.

MRT: ZhongXiao/DunHua Station

Visit reviewed: 6/27/2007



Chili House is known for their spicy Sichuan dishes such as their chili wontons or chili soup noodles. But despite walking into the newly modern decor, you might be surprised to encounter some brusque service. It's not intentionally rude, they are just too busy trying to get everyone their food and making space for the customers. Apparently the family run business has been around a long time, so they focus on the food and not making small talk.



My friends who are regulars here order their favorites, but commented afterwards that the wontons weren't as good as usual that day. This is perfect for those looking for fire alarm hot Szechwan cuisine, but it was tooo spicy for me.

SPICY! Too spicy to eat and taste anything else but chili. If you can handle this type of spicy, you have a strong stomach and your tastebuds are dead. Just kidding. If you like the spicy in Indian and Korean cuisines, then you probably will like Szechewan spicy.

I had to stick to the non-Chili wontons, noodles and dishes. I liked the peanut butter consistency sesame noodles more than the meat sauce noodles, and we also ordered some sweet peas with chicken and steamed spare short ribs.





It's affordable authentic Chinese food like Din Tai Fung or Jiu Ru but with the option to test out your chili tolerance. It's actually nicer inside than Din Tai Fung and it seemed a popular place for locals, as the lunch hour was packed and my friends encountered at least 3 other parties that they knew. I'd go back to try it again, but only the non-Chili variety.

not taipei/china: random restaurant in Nanjing, China

If something mysterious and fried reaches your plate in the middle of a multi-course meal, would you just dig in or would you ask questions first, eat only after consideration? I'm the second type.

Any guesses to what it was?

Don't know if the lone Lay's chip helps or hurts.

Also, why do they serve noodles/rice at the end of a 8-10 course meal? It's usually the best part and you're too full to eat more than a bite.



Oh well.

not taipei: what to eat in Toronto?

hey everyone,

Sorry I've been MIA for a little while. I just got into Toronto from Los Angeles and have been ending up eating prettty much bar/American food ever since.

Help!

Any recommendations- especially in the downtown area? I see so much diversity around, but not sure where to go. I've also heard rumors about good Peking duck in the Chinatown here?

More to come when I return to Taipei at the end of the month. Unless I eat something spectacular in Toronto!

CLOSED! salad/japanese: SALAD KING

SALAD KING
at Eslite Xin Yi Mall
11 Song Kao Road, B2

(02) 2723-0123

$

Kid friendliness: two small tables in the area, adjacent to food court seating. lots of kid friendly options for soups, fruit salads and noodles.

Visit reviewed: 6/24/2007

Bringing the Japanese styled deli salads to the Eslite food court, Salad King offers appetizer sized and combination boxes (NT$50-140) for someone looking for something cooler for the summer. I can't quite remember what was here in this spot before Salad King (was it hot dogs?), but it'll be interesting to see how long they can stick around. It does stand out with its clean deli style counter, but will Taipei stomaches want to eat salads?



At first glance, their four square combination boxes (NT$120) look quite similar to the Dean and Deluca with the option to add a soup for NT$20. Here choices are preset for you, unlike your ability to choose your own hot or cold foods at Dean and Deluca.

In their mini brochure, there are 4 preset boxes- (A) has fruit salad, smoked salmon, a mini shrimp salad and shrimp over noodles; (B) offers what looks like shrimp over salad, pasta, and I can't quite figure out the other two. I ended up getting (C) which has cold boiled pork slices on a pile of onions, soba noodles, caesar salad and shrimp over an egg potato salad. (D) is a vegetarian option with fruit salad, vegetable salad, rice noodles and some soy thing.



I wanted to love my (C) set, but I didn't. The pork was chilled, so was not tender. It was cold and bland despite the drizzling of some sort of soy sauce. The caesar salad had bits of bacon and parmasean cheese and was not bad. The mushroom soba was also bland. Egg and potato salad was not bad, but I wished the shrimp didn't have a head on it.



I also added the soup option and the soup of the day was a tomato soup. While it was a puree, it tasted creamy and rich, tasting maybe like it was made with chicken broth? I almost wanted a grilled cheese sandwich to go with it. While it was good with the flavors and texture, it was quite heavy and I couldn't finish it.

We also ordered an a la carte shrimp tomato thing (No. 15) for NT$70, which was had a shrimp on a bed of onions over tuna salad stuffed in a tomato. It sounds like a lot going on in one dish, but the flavors actually all went together and it might make a good snack.




While they do offer various types of mixed salads, fruit salad, and other cold options, it's all very Asian style, except for the caesar salad. In my dream world, Salad King would be a bit more California inspired, offering cobb, chinese chicken salad or bbq chopped salad, but there's nothing like that in sight.



If I tried it again, I would probably order the dishes I liked individually as not to get stuck with dud dishes in the combination box.

chinese: i strongly recommend SHAN XI DAO XIAO MIEN

SHAN XI DAO XIAO MIEN (Shan Xi Knife Cut Noodles)
No. 2, Lane 118, He Ping An He Road
near the Technology building(科技大樓)
(02) 2378-7890

Lunch: 11AM- 2 PM
Dinner: 5 PM - 8:30 PM

$

Kid friendliness: no high chairs spotted and crowded space during busy lunch hour.

Visit reviewed: 6/26/2007

If you've never really heard of knife cut noodles (or dao xiao mien), then you're in for a treat. I'd heard of fresh noodles, rolled and cut by hand, but never really eaten the kind that is slivered off a block of dough by a flat piece of metal right before it comes to your table. The knife cut method is famous from Shan Xi, a part of China where they love noodles.



But everyone loves noodles right?



Here you can choose dark beef noodle soup or the lighter tomato-infused clear broth, you can even get the beef noodle soup with tomatoes, which is what our friend recommended. She had been coming here since she was a kid, so it was evident that it was a neighborhood favorite as the small restaurant was packed with locals.



The menu is the kind that you check off the boxes, only in Chinese, so don't expect pictures. But if you don't read Chinese and still want to try it out, you can just point to a dish that looks good at the table next to yours. Everything on the menu is very very affordable at under NT$150.

I found the soy sauce beef broth to be a wee bit salty, but I still drank half of the bowl. The noodles are chewy (very QQ) and slippery, piled in the bowl in uneven thicker and shorter pieces than you'd find from a cut noodles place. It also comes with a large spoonful of the pickled vegetables that I like and plenty of beef pieces.



You can also grab the cold appetizers such as tofu and thousand year old egg, cucumbers or green beans. There is also green onion pancakes made in the front, though I found that it was too thick and doughy for my liking.



No matter- you are here for the beef noodle soup! Although I think I remember people at other tables eating rice and other dishes, everyone at our table had noodle soup (NT$90). While I was trying to find the address for this place (before getting it from my friend), I found that actually there are quite a few Dao Xiao Mien shops, and also some with the same exact name. So maybe they are all worth a try, if you see a sign like this near you. But if you want a sure thing, I strongly recommend that you head over to this Shan Xi Dao Xiao Mien shop.

random things that Shanghai has that Taipei doesn't

I think it's a little unfair that these places have not opened up shop in Taipei. Plus I didn't get a chance to eat at any of these places, only shop. While we were taken to some really great local eats, I have no idea where any of them were since they didn't have signs, were off in little alleys and didn't have any business cards to grab on the way out.

Dairy Queen
Papa John's Pizza
Krispy Kreme
California Pizza Kitchen
H & M
Zara

I know, completely random, but I lost my camera last weekend and am too devasted to write anything meaningful. I have been taking a few pictures with my camera phone, but as you know, it's just not the same. Also, I LOST MY CAMERA! Argh. I guess it's an excuse to take a look at the Nikon D40 I've been hearing about or just replacing my Canon. BOO HOO.

After visiting China, I've come to realize that maybe I'm not such a good tourist. I've become comfortable with Taipei so I know how things work even though I didn't grow up there- where my favorite places to eat are or at least what the different areas of Taipei are , how to tell if your cabbie is crazy or not, what the subway stops look like and generally where they are, where the major malls are, how to convert NT to US$ without doing too much math and if I don't know where to look online!

But in China, I'm confused all over again. The local dialects are a lot more work to comprehend, trying to convert 7RMB to 1US$ is a lot harder than converting NT$s, I have no idea where public transportation is or what restaurant is good or not, and even the rumored American places like Krispy Kreme, I have no idea where to find them. Sometimes I don't even get to look at the menu, since someone else is usually ordering or has already ordered. I'm sure with time comes familiarity, but life is easier when you have someone who knows where they are going help you out.

So my apologies for not sharing any dazzling photos or juicy descriptions of the variations of stir-fried river shrimp with vinegar, crackling skins of beijing duck, or sticky sweet braised pork and bean curds "red braised" in a large red ceramic pot that we seemed to be eating at every restaurant.

CLOSED/japanese: i recommend WATAMI JAPANESE CASUAL RESTAURANT

WATAMI JAPANESE CASUAL RESTAURANT
at Neo 19, 2nd FL
22, SongShou Rd
(02) 2723-2623

Hours:
Sun- Thurs 11 am-1 am
Fri/Sat: 11-2 am

$ - $$

website: watami.com.tw

Kid friendliness: high chairs available.

Visit reviewed: 6/17/2007

Decent enough chain restaurant of Japanese food with a wide variety of things on the menu including sashimi, yakitori, noodles, hot pot, fried foods, and even stone bowl bim bim bap (NT$180-220) with the most expensive thing on the menu at NT$480 (the combo sashimi platter). The menu has Chinese and Japanese and pictures for everything, though no English.



Service can be slow since they can get very busy though I spotted this service bell, though we didn't use it.



Moderately priced, Watami is a popular choice for business lunches and large groups and the decor is modern infused with lots of red.



The Neo 19 location (next to Chili's, at the old Spoon Thai food location) is more noisy and open than the more ambient Dun Hua basement location which has the dim lighting and bamboo divider curtains that grant a bit more aura of privacy.

I doubt that anyone will ever say that they had the best Japanese food ever here, but they have enough things on the menu to suit almost everyone with a wait during weekends and their rush dining hours to show for it.



Personally, I like their cold ramen noodles (NT$160) bathed in a vinegary sauce and found the broth in their big bowl of soupy ramen (NT$160) was even pretty tasty. I also like the option of ordering the yakitori, though it was a bit on the salty side at the Neo 19 location at my last visit. The bamboo wrapped in beef and mixed combo (NT$250) with six skewers.





I also liked the mixed mushroom appetizer (NT$80), but found the fried lotus chips too salty (NT$100).



While they don't have as many desserts as the neighboring Azabu Sabo, they do have a lot of different colorful drinks, mostly of the Calpis variety. I guess all in all, it's like eating a Japanese version of TGIF, offering fast and relatable foods for the business casual lunch or family budget and atmopshere.


OTHER LOCATIONS:

Hsi Men
at Jun Plaza, 3 FL
No. 37,
(02) 2361-5198
11AM - 1 AM

No. 225, Dun Hua S Road, Sec 1, B1
(02) 2771-6947
11AM - 1AM (Sun- Thurs) 2AM (Friday, Sat)

at Cesear Park Hotel, 2nd FL
No. 38, Chung Hsiao W Road, Sec 1
(02) 2370-9188
11AM- 1AM